Collision in the Fog: The Fatal Crash of the Steamer Premier
A catastrophic collision between the steamers Willamette and Premier in thick fog leaves four dead and many injured, prompting a tense investigation into maritime safety and schedules.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
The collision between the steamers Willamette and Premier on Puget Sound resulted in four confirmed deaths. The body of the fourth victim, William F. Richardson, a Tacoma contractor, was recovered yesterday morning after being pinned under debris. Others lost include Frank C. Wynkoop, Johannes Moe, and John J. Rankin. The disaster occurred in thick fog near Bush Point. Captain Gilboy of the Premier and Captain Hanson of the Willamette offer conflicting accounts of the signals exchanged before the crash. Survivors and passengers, including those injured at Providence Hospital, recount the harrowing moments of the collision. The tragedy has ignited a debate among local mariners about the pressure to maintain schedules regardless of dangerous weather conditions.
“It's a terrible thing on a man's brains.”
Maritime travel was the primary transit for the Puget Sound region, making collisions like this a persistent and terrifying civic threat. The tension between profit-driven schedules and passenger safety is a recurring struggle in the history of Washington infrastructure.
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